"Millionaires March" With Occupy Wall Street

Governor Cuomo is paying for $5 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers by cutting hospitals, schools, housing programs, public assistance and other public services that ordinary New Yorkers rely on. VOCAL-NY is working with allies around the state to block this tax cut before it takes effect on December 31st by drawing attention to the big money political donors who stand to benefit the most, including many of the Wall Street bankers who crashed our economy.

On October 11th, VOCAL-NY joined community groups, labor unions and student activists, along with #OccupyWallStreet, for a “Millionaires March” to the Upper East Side homes of some of the top billionaires in NYC – Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Tea Party patron David Koch, News Corp head Rupert Murdoch and mega-developer Howard Milstein. Check out photos below.

A national ABC News story quoted VOCAL-NY leader Elizabeth Owens discussing the higher rate of state and local taxes that poor and working New Yorkers will pay if the new tax rate for millionaires goes into effect:

“Elizabeth Owens carried an oversized check as she participated in today’s march. ‘I want the millionaires to know that we won’t stand for this. I pay more than they do in taxes,’ said Owens, a New York resident.

Media coverage featuring VOCAL-NY leaders also included MSNBC and the Metro. The New York Daily News also published several of our photos from the march here, here and here.

“Money shouldn’t speak louder than the voices of everyday New Yorkers, but that’s why Albany and Washington are working for those at the very top and failing everyone else” said Bobby Tolbert, a VOCAL-NY leader and Board member, explaining why

Terry King, Elizabeth Owens, and Gustavo Pedroza speak with the media

he joined the march. “It feels like the rules that the 99% have to follow don’t apply to the top 1%. There’s no better example than Governor Cuomo’s decision to give billions in tax cuts to the top 1% instead of asking them to help create jobs and protect public services.”

We wanted to draw attention to the wealthiest 1% that are buying off our government at all levels and distorting its priorities, forcing budget cuts to healthcare, HIV/AIDS, drug treatment, prison reentry and many other programs we need to survive. We’re also calling on Governor Cuomo to call back the state legislature for a special session to cancel the $5 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% planned for December 31st.

VOCAL-NY joined the action as part of New Deal for New York, a coalition of grassroots groups we helped form earlier this year.